Behind Closed Doors
by Nette JP
Summary: RyouXBakura Fic. An angsty oneshot about Ryou's feelings about what goes on behind the closed doors at home.


Behind Closed Doors

By: Nette JP

**DISCLAMER:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Although :tears: I wish I did.

"Don't forget that your workbooks are due Monday. Have a nice weekend class," Ms. Kashino announced to her class as the bell sounded through out the halls of Domino High.

Doe, brown eyes gazed sadly down at the plastic white school desk that held a fairly large science textbook as pale reds lips parted in a slight depressed sigh. _Yeah, I hope that you have a good weekend Ms. Kashino._ After a moments pauseRyou slowly rose from his opal colored desk and stretched his sore, haggard muscles and started to pack his heavy textbook along with his writing utensils into his slightly worn side bag. After all of Ryou's belongings were tightly packed away in his bag he gradually lifted the slightly frayed side bag on to his shoulder.

Walking towards the dull blue door of his class, Ryou nonchalantly turned the gleaming metal handle and proceeded through the door to his metal locker. Ryou collected all his school supplies for the weekend and calmly closed the somber looking locker.

As Ryou reached the end of the hallway his heart started to sink to the pit of his stomach. He knew what would happen as soon as he walked out of the colorless doors of Domino High. Yes, he knew what was so come as the doors swung shut to Ryou's last safe haven until the weekend was over and a new week began.

Thoughts were running wildly through Ryou's head as he traced the familiar steps to his small apartment. He knew that every time the door closed it would happen again. No one would know though, no one would care to know. If anyone did find out, things would only get worse and he didn't want them to get any worse then they already were. If they did find out the pain he would receive would be to hard for his frail body to handle.

Slowly Ryou became aware that he had arrived at his tiny apartment when he raised his head to see the pristine white door of his apartment, which would only reveal the ancient spirit that would rule his life for the next two days. For today was Friday, to Ryou the worst day of the week. This meant that he would be spending a little too much time at home with a certain someone whom he desperately wished he could get away from.

Ryou slowly opened the white door to his quaint, two-bedroom apartment that he shared with his darker half, the ancient Egyptian tomb robber. As the front door creaked open, Ryou realized, to his great relief, that the apartment was deserted. To Ryou this meant that he was awarded a little bit more time in which he could be free from the hell that would break lose when Bakura would return home from his night time excursions.

Ryou was going to take advantage of this precious moment in time that rarely came. He quickly set his tattered book bag down by the door and raced to his room closing the door promptly behind himself and entering into his sanctuary.

Ryou walked over to his bed and gingerly lifted the mattress to reveal a battered old olive green notebook. Ryou pulled the green notebook from its resting place and set it lightly on his desk. This was one thing that Bakura couldn't touch, one thing that Ryou could keep all to himself. This little notebook held all of Ryou's secrets, secrets that no one knew and according to Bakura, secrets that could be told to no one unless a certain someone wanted to be in great deal of pain. That certain someone being Ryou. And that threat alone was enough for Ryou to keep his silence and tell no one.

Ryou slowly opened the yellowing pages to his precious notebook to a clean page and began to write what no one else would ever see.

_Dear notebook,_

_I really lucked out to day. As you know today is Friday and we all know how fun weekends are with Bakura. But to my surprise the house was empty today. No one here to welcome me home with a loving punch to the face today. Nope that will probably happen later tonight when Bakura comes home. _

_Today at school wasn't too bad though. I don't think that anyone has noticed all of my oh so many bruises, so hopefully Bakura wont be too angry with me tonight. And he shouldn't be angry because I have to try really hard to hide them from everyone prying eyes. Although I get threats from Bakura so often I still want it all to end and be over with. All of the endless beating and endless hurt, I want it all to end. But I'll keep my silence. The beatings are only at there worst if I tell, so Bakura has nothing to worry about, I wont tell the Pharaoh. I don't want a repeat last time I tried to tell Yugi and the other. Bakura wasn't the most forgiving after that incident and I want to be able to wake up in the morning and be able to go to school and not have to tell everyone that the huge yellowish bruise of my face is from "falling down the stairs." I'm sick of all the lies, but what can I do? I mean I don't want to be a burden to the others with all of my problems. I need to accept what I was given and maybe, just maybe one day Bakura will change. That's not too much to hope for, right? Everything will be ok, wont it? Everything will work out ok. Heh, who am I kidding; nothing is going to work out. I'm never going to be strong like Yugi, never powerful like Kiaba. Things never really work out for me that way. I really can't do anything._

Tears slowly stared to fall from Ryou's chocolate brown eyes on to the yellow pages of the notebook smearing some of the words on the page. Slowly a small smile stared to form on Ryou's face as he continued to write.

_Oh I know I am good at one thing, I'm good at keeping my emotions all hidden away behind my perfect mask. No one suspects anything; my smiling façade at school keeps my secrets. None of them can see the tears that stain my checks under this smiling porcelain mask. I'll keep my mask always, not just to hide my painful secrets, but because it's the one thing I am good at. I knew that I wasn't as hopeless as Bakura said I was. My mask is so perfect that at times I…even fool myself._

A loud sound from the entry way broke the stillness of the air that surrounded Ryou. Loud uneven footsteps walked in through the aged, white door. Bakura was home. Ryou hurriedly scribbled the last words into his notebook before slamming it shut as Bakura clumsily reached for the rusting handle of Ryou's bedroom door. Just as the knob of the door began to turn Ryou ran and safely tucked his precious notebook under his mattress and wiped the salty tears from his face. The door to Ryou's room slowly creaked open to reveal a looming tomb robber who in turn found a peacefully smiling Ryou once again replacing his perfect mask that no one would ever see through, not even Bakura.

Ryou smiled up at Bakura, silently shaking with fear from behind his mask and said with a strained voice, "Welcome home Bakura."

**Authors Note:** Hey peoples! What do ya think? I hope that you enjoyed reading it because i sure enjoyed writing it! Please leave a review! PLEASE! I wanna know what you guys think! I like constructive criticism! I also want to know if i should continue with this story or leave it as a one-shot.


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